Mad Minds
by Ethereal Wishes
Summary: Emma Swan is a psychiatrist commended on her excellent work in mental patients. She's recommended for a special case study on a group of patients who believe they're all from another world. Is it just a coincidence or is something more sinister at play?


**Prologue**

**A/AN: This story is my take on a different approach to the curse. There will be eventual ships as the story progresses. I'll try to make the chapters long and worth your while. I can't promise how much I'll update based on cover bunnies and other fics, but I'll try as much as possible. I'm also not psychologist so if I get something wrong then just let me know.**

Emma Swan was a thirty-one year old, newly divorced, single mother. She and her husband, Neal Cassidy of ten years had recently divorced. They had split joint custody of their ten year old son Henry Cassidy, a gifted fourth student with an overly active imagination. Henry was brilliant, but he still believed in things like the Easter bunny and Santa Claus. Emma worried about him a lot, especially since he didn't have many friends. She supposed that most of that was her fault since her job demanded she travel a lot. She was a psychologist who specialized working with mental patients. The human mind fascinated her more than anything. Each mind was a mystery presented for her to unravel.

Three days ago a case file filled with the information of four patients suffering from multiple personality disorder had come across her desk. She had been selected based on her tremendous successes to come study and evaluate these four individuals currently housed in Storybrooke Asylum, a facility that specialized in the most unique cases in the nation. The Asylum was located in Storybrooke, Maine a little tatter tot town of less than one thousand residents.

Emma stared at her son in the backseat aimlessly looking out the window at the passing landscape. She took a swig of her coffee before addressing him, "Hey kid, you're going to have a great time at your dads. He's got a big backyard, and he said that there's a really big lake to fish in a few miles up the road." she encouraged.

"I guess…Do you think there's an arcade?" Henry inquired. She smiled brushing a lock of blond hair behind her ear.

"Hey I know it isn't New York, but you guys will have a great time. I'm sure there's plenty to do in Salina. I know you'll adapt just fine." Emma assured him as she turned off onto a dirt road which led back to Neal's property.

Salina, Maine was only an hours drive from Storybrooke, so she wouldn't have far to drive if she needed to check on Henry. When she and Neal were married, they traveled all over the United States. The longest place they'd settled was Tallahassee for about two years when Henry was five. She'd never been happier but so much had changed between them since then.

Things started to fall apart after the miscarriage. They both wanted to have another child, but Emma just wasn't able to. The doctors found a large mass on her ovaries and had to remove them. Things had grown cold between them after that. She threw herself more into her work. The intimacy between them had extinguished like a dimly lit flame. They both decided six months ago to part ways. She was more concerned with how the divorce would effect Henry because he really loved his father. She thought this trip would give them time to bond.

Emma drove up the long driveway to Neal's large country home. The house was two stories with blue vinyl siding. There was a large oak tree with a swing hanging from it. The house also sported a large wrap around porch.

"Wow Henry, look there's a swing!" Emma exclaimed, pulling up towards the house. She wanted him to be excited about this trip. She hoped it took his mind off the divorce.

"Yeah it's great I guess." Henry deadpanned, unbuckling his seat belt. He threw open the door to her yellow beetle, letting himself out without another word.

Emma sighed, getting out of the car. She popped the trunk, gathering his luggage. She walked towards the front porch. The door swung open revealing Neal.

"Here let me get those!" he insisted rushing to her side. She handed him the two duffel bags. He smiled politely at her. She smiled back running her fingers through her messy blond tresses.

"Would you like to come inside for a cup of coffee?" Neal inquired nervously, gesturing towards the steps.

"Nah I better not. I need to be heading on to Storybrooke. I'm supposed to meet with some therapist named Archie at nine. She's supposed to fill me in on a few of the patients I'll be evaluating." Emma politely declined. She watched him avert his gaze awkwardly.

"Well I'll be seeing you then. I know that the divorce has been finalized and all, but you're welcome to stay here if you like. I've got plenty of room." he supplied causing her to shake her head lightly with a small smile forming at her lips.

"Look Neal I really appreciate it, but I've already rented a room. I'll be _fine._ You don't need me around interfering with things. All I want is for you to make sure Henry has a good time. He's never lived in the country before so it's going to be a big adjustment for him. I promise I'll call you when I get there." she assured him.

She was surprised to see a brown haired boy standing between them now, "The swing works great. What else is there to do here?" Henry questioned alleviating the awkward tension between them.

"I hooked up the xbox. How does some Call of Duty sound?" Neal offered a huge grin tugging at the edge of his mouth.

"You bet! I'll go get the headset!" Henry said exuberantly before Emma grabbed his shoulder halting him.

"You're not going anywhere until I get a goodbye hug and kiss." she remarked pointing to her right cheek. Henry threw his arms around her tightly, kissing her cheek lightly.

"I'll see you in two weeks kid. You behave yourself. Do you understand?" Emma warned, motherly concern flashing in her eyes.

"Of course mom! You have nothing to worry about." Henry smiled before running up the steps.

"Well I guess we will see you in two weeks then. Have a safe trip Em." Neal said before grabbing the two duffel bags, making his way up the steps. Emma felt her heart constrict at the sound of her old nickname. It was a simple name to most but between them it meant something intimate.

Emma didn't reply back opting to make her way towards the car. She didn't look back at the large house as she drove down the hill back towards the highway. She allowed her mind to linger on the five patients she would evaluate when she got to Storybrooke.

The first patient's name was Regina Mills. Apparently, she was the former mayor of Storybrooke. She started displaying signs of MPSD when she started proclaiming herself as the "Evil Queen". Her file stated that she was mentally abused as a child resulting in her diagnosis. She tried to strangle a town resident named Mary Margret, claiming she was "Snow White". Regina and Mary Margret had no trifles in the past, so the document stated her other "personality" must believe she was a threat to Regina.

The second candidate was a man named Jefferson who believed he was the mad hatter. He claimed the whole town was cursed and that he had two sets of memories. He was utterly obsessed with a black top hat. He would talk to and sometimes yell at it for hours, begging it to take him to the "other" world. No one was allowed to touch the hat or they were violently assaulted.

The third patient was a woman named Isabel French. She was a very beautiful woman from what Emma could tell from the picture in her file. Isabel believed that she was actually a barfly named Lacey. Isabel's personality had manifested itself from excessive drug use and self medicating.

The fourth candidate was a man named Graham who was formerly the sheriff of Storybrooke. Graham was always confused about who he was. He suffered from the bizarre delusion that he was a huntsman who protected the sanctity of animals. There was an incident of him stabbing another patient in the neck with his fork believing her chicken leg was part of a "wolf" carcass.

Emma had dealt with bizarre cases in the past, but she'd never dealt with anything described in these four individuals. The common trait in all of them was that they believed they all hailed from a place called the Enchanted Forest. It sounded like something right out of one of Henry's storybooks. She drove until she seen a winding hill, which the asylum sat on top of. It was surrounded completely by a tall electric fence. She took a deep breath as she ascended the hill, wondering what else she would find when she got there.

**A/AN: Well there's the prologue. What's up with these four individuals? What will Emma's arrival in Storybrooke entail? Review if you want to know more!**


End file.
